Domestic refrigerator



A ril 14, 1942. M. G. SHOEMAKER DOMESTIC REFRIGERATOR Filed Sept. 21, 1940 Patented Apr. 14,

1 Malcolm G; Shoemaker, Abington; Pa., assignor, I

-. by mesne assignments, to Philcoi Corporation,

Philadelphia, vania Pa., a corporation of Pennsylr 1 Application September 21, 1940, Serial No. 357,315

40mm. (cite-11a invention relates to new and useful improvements in' refrigerating apparatus for do mestic refrigerators and more particularly to the refrigerant circulation system of such apparatus,

One of the essential elements of"refr1gerating apparatus of thetype described. is a drier or like after more fully. set V forth. "and described and I shown in the accompanying drawing, 111 which:

element for] dehydrating therefrigerant asthe latter passes from the compressor to the evap orator. 'In the past, these driers ordehydrating' elements have usually been. located adjacent the refrigerant condenser and within the machinery compartment oflthe refrigerator cabinet where they are subjected to the heat generated and radiated by the motor compressor unit and the condenser in that compartment with the result that the. temperature of the drier or dehydrating element often becomes so high as. to ren'cler that elementinoperative. This is so for the/reason that the. moisture retaining capacity offdriers and like'elernents containing a dehydrant such as, for example, silica-gel, issomewhat inversely proportioned to their temperature. Furthermore, the temperature to whichthe refrigerant maybe cooled'in the condenser is dependent upon the temperature of the circulating air with the result that on hot summer-days, and particularly in the case of condensers. rely n on natural draft cooling, the drier or dehydrating element may bewarmed by the refrigerant passing to it from the condenser to an extent that it will give 01f moisture which it has previously absorbed and this moisture may pass into the capillary refrigerant flow control tube and thereby solidify causing a block.i n therefrigerant circulation'system.

.With the foregoing in mind, the principal object. of thepresent invention is to provide a refrigerating apparatus for domestic refrigerators wherein substantially improved operating conditions areprovided for the" refrigerant drier or dehydrating element in the refrigerant circulating system. I p

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel refrigerating apparatuses set forth embodying in conjunction therewith an improved heat exchanger.

' A;further object of the invention" provide 4-4, Figure 1.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the refrigerant circulation system constructed in accordance with this invention; 1 1

Figure 2 is a rear elevational viewof a'refrigerator having a panel broken away toflshow one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a"-sectionial view taken on line 33, Figure. 2; and v Figure 4 is an enlarged section. taken onlin'e According to the present invention, I have found that the previously mentioned difliculties refrigerant condenser By. an arrangementsuch as this the warm condensed refrigerant subcooled below the condenser temperature and in many'cases even below the temperature of the,

ambient air with the result that the temperature of the,,'drier'and of the refrigerant therein is lowered appreciably. and the capacity of the drier for retaining moisture may be materially increased. I

With this in mind, and referring particularly to Figure 1 of the drawing referencenumeral ,I

thus. passes through the condenser 5- where it is condensed and then fed toward the usual evap orator througha feed line "I, the feed line 1 pref.-

erably having a diameter large enough so that.

' no drop in' the pressure of therefrigerant will refrigerant,- and this element 8, maybe-forexample, a cylindrical container having at each end a retaining screen or otherperforate mam-- a novel refrigerating apparatus of, the type set forth. whereby there is afforded m Jre'. efl ici ent-v and. reliable operation of a domestic refrigerator employing a capillary. tube as the refrigerant flow control device. r H

7 These and other objects of the present invention and the various featuresand details of the construction and operation thereof are hereinoccur therein.

This feed'line l connects with adrier element 8 operable to dehydrate the compressed ber and containing a suitable. moisture absorb.- ent such as, for example,;si1ica-gel.. Connected to and leaving from the drierfl is a refrigerant flow restrictor or controlli g-adevice 5 of the conventional capillary tube type which leads to the. inlet port or opening. of anevaporator It.

opening of the evaporator II and the suction port 2 oi,the motor compressor unit thus providing a closed path for the circulation of rei'rigerant.

The capillary tube essentially is of considerable length necessitating that it be helically or otherwise coiled, asi'indicated at Ii; for a substantialportionofitslengtnandboththiscoiled portion ll ofsaidcapillaryaandthedrierlare preterably disposed within suitable insulation I2 as shown which, for example, may represent the r insulated rear wall of a domestic refrigerator cabinet as hereinafter more clearly described.

Ina refrigerating system such as the foregoing, itis the iunction of.the drier I to absorb moisture from the circulating. refrigerant, and

this is a most important function for it all moisture is not removed from the refrigerant the moisture which is not removed may freeze and solidiiyinthecapillarytubeltherebycausinga freese-up"- or stoppage f of the circulation through the system. i I i In accordance with the present invention the condensed ref igerant feed line I and the drier I are disposed invheatiexchange relation with the aforesaid suction line H thereby causing the warmcondensed refrigerant in said feedline I l to be sub-cooled below the temperature of the condenser and even the ambient air by the cold refrigerantin the suction line II, and also causingthe drier I to be cooled and thereby. eil'ect a material increase in the moisture retaining ca- Pacity 'of said drier. The suction line H and a a condensed rei'rlserant feed line I may bedis'posed in metallic heat exchange relation by soldering, brazing or otherwise securing the two together (see Figure 4) for a substantial portion of their length and terminatingafter they enter. the insor unit i and the condenser l,s the latter beingdisposed across the rear of the said compartment l4 and proiecting into a vertical .nue ll upwardly through which air naturally circulates to cool thesaidcondcnserl.

From the condenser I the refrigerant ieed'tube I extends upwardly "along the exterior of the rear wall of the cabinet is and then extends inwardly of the cabinet rear wall structure .through an is which is normally closed by means of a removable panel is. The inner wall or liner lid of the cabinet la is provided with an opening II in alignment with said'openaavaoas diate the openin s II and II, as shown. before saidsuctionlinellpassesoutoithecabinetand downwardly along the exterior or its rear wall tothecompressorunit.

the convoluted portion of the suction line H,

andthisbracketll servesasaheatexchanging mediumbetweenthesaiddri'erlandthesaid suction line ll whereby the formeris cooled the latter. As previously. "stated, the excess length oftube I is preferably coiled as'indicated'at Ii and this coil maybe positioned within'the cabinetrear wall structure as illustrated. It is tobe understood, of course, that the various elements of the apparatus that are tween theopenings it and it normally are surrounded and covered by suitable heat insulating materiaiwhichmaybepackedaboutandbetween the parts'before securing in place the removable cover panel --l"rom the foregoingitwill beseenthat the present invention provides a' novel refrigerating apparatus wherein the warm condensed reiriserant is sub-cooled below the condenser temperature and even below the temperature of the ambient air. Too, the arrangement provides for cooling the drier element proper with the result that the temperature of the drier .and' of the refrigerant therein is lowered appreciably and the capacity of said drier forretaining moisture is materially increased. Thus it will be seen that there is obtained more eiiicient 'and reliable operation of a domestic refrigerator.

While a particular embodiment of thepresent invention has herein been illustrated and described, it is not intended that said invention be limited to this'disclosure but that changes and modifications may be made and incorporated log ll,andsaid opening II wilinormallybje closed by a removable panel of suitable form as shown at Ila.

"Upon. entering the cabinet rear wall structure as aforesaid, the refrigerant feed tube' I connects withthe drier I, andthe capillary tube 0 leads from said drier l'to the evaporator ll which is' positioned within the cabinet-food storwall openings ll and-ll'asillustrated.

The suction line iiwhich connects between age compartment "adjacent the aforesaid the evaporator outlet and the inlet 2 of the comprusor unit I is preferably coiled at least once within the cabinet rear wall structure intermetherein and thereto nexed claims. I

I claim: 7 e I 1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in combination, a heat insulated cabinet including a food storage compartment and a mechanism compartment, an evaporator in said food'storage compartment, a compressor and a condenser in said'mechanism compartment, a suction conduit connecting said evaporator and said comwithin the scope'of theanpressor, 'a refrigerant'feed line connecting said condenser to said evaporator, and a moisture retaining unit in said feed line and embedded in the insulation of said cabinet, at least a portion of said feed betweensaid condenser and laid unit being in heat exchange relation with said suction line.

2-. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in

combination, a heat insulated cabinet including a food storage compartment and a mechanism compartment, an evaporator in said food storage compartment, a compressor, and a condenser in said mechanism compartment, a suction conduit extending between said evaporator ands'aid compressor, and a feed iine for conducting refrigerant from said condenser to said evaporator,

said feedline including a feed conduit extending from said condenser, a moisture retaining element, and acapillary tube extending to said evaporator, said suction and feed conduits being in heat exchange relation and said moisture retaining element and a substantial portion of said capillary tube being embedded in the heat insulation of said cabinet.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in combination, a heat insulated cabinet including a food storage compartment and a mechanism compartment, an evaporator in said food storage compartment, a compressor and a condenser in said mechanism compartment, a suction conduit extending between said evaporator and said compressor, and a feed line for conducting refrigerant from said condenser to said evaporator, said feed line including a feed conduit extending from said condenser, a moisture retaining element, and a capillary tube extending to said evaporator, a portion of said suction conduit and said moisture retaining element being embedded in the heat insulation of said cabinet and in heat exchange relation with each other.

e. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in

combination, a heat insulated cabinet including a food storage compartment and a mechanism compartment, an evaporator in said food storage compartment, a compressor and a condenser in said mechanism compartment, a suction conduit extending between said evaporator and said compressor. and a feed line for conducting refrigerant from said condenser to said evaporator, said feed line including a feed conduit extending from said condenser, a moisture retaining element, and a capillary tube extending to said evaporator, both said suction and feed conduits extending for a considerable distance outside said cabinet and being in heat exchange relation with each other for a substantial portion of said distance, and a portion of said suction conduit and moisture retaining element and a substantial portion of said capillary tube being embedded in the heat insulated cabinet, said capillary tube and the suction conduit being in non-heat exchange relation with each other.

MALCOLM G. SHOEMAKER. 

